Device for loosening up tobacco



Y Filed June 8, 1955 Feb. 17, 1959 H. sCHLossMAcHER 2,873,746

DEVICE FOR LOOSEINING UP TOBACCOY 2 Sheets-Shelet 1 72 Ff 2 INVENTOR.

jzfcr/.Sch Z055 mac/fe?" Feb' 17, 1959 'l-i. scHLossMAcHER 2,873,746

DEVICE FOR LoosENING UP TOBACCO Filed June 8, 1955 A2 Sheets-Sheet 2Unid States .Patent "2,813,748 DEVICE FOR .LOOSENING UP TOBACCO HiibertSchlossma'chen Hamburglergedor Germany,

assignor toV Kurt Krber & C0., K.-G., Hamburg- Bergedorf, GermanyApplication June s, i955, serial No. 514,053 Claims prin-ity, apparati@'France :June 9, 1954 @Claims (Cl. 1an-109) This invention relates to adevice Afor loosening up tobacco inwhich the tobacco is discharged froma discharge device onto .aslowly moving,v endless band, lcontin-uouslyremoved from theend Vof :sa-id band and, if desired, conveyedffurtherinorder to deliver in a loosened up 'condition from conveyors, silos,`mixing plants, or i other similartransportation and .storage y'devicestobacco that has been stored Vto great heights and that is thoroughlymoistened, -and todose out said tobacco so that a treatment ldeviceassociated withfsaid transportation :and storage deviceis supplied witha given amount of tobacco per unit of time.

It is known per se to deliver tobacco piled to great heights andthoroughly moistened to a further treatment device by means of suitabletransportation devices such as slowly moving conveyor bands, inconnection with such storing and moistening. However, untilnow it hasbeen dilicult to deliver the tobacco at the discharge end insufficiently loosened condition and particularly in satisfactorilyuniform quantities.

This work was originally done by hand by means of suitable dischargetools. However, it has been attempted to eliminate the resultingdifferences in discharge and looscness through suitable devices as, forexample, by building in a rake band at the discharge end. Saidembodiment turned out, however, not to fulfill the requirements for suchan installation.

According to this invention, therefore, a device is used for theloosening up which is characterized by rotating rake wheels arranged instaggered position at the front end of the layers of tobacco. Said rakewheels are journalled in stationary bearing frames which may beadjustable in relation to each other. Furthermore, the arrangement canbe such that a rake wheel disposed at a higher level may rotate at ahigher speed than a lower wheel so that the tobacco is removed from thefront wall in quantities that are not too great. The tobacco removed bythe rake wheels is discharged into a swinging conveyor chute which movesthe tobacco ahead or-in the case of a plurality of devices for looseningup the tobacco-the tobacco may be discharged onto a collector band.

The embodiment described below as an example of the invention relatesparticularly to a loosening and remover` device in an elongated mixingmachine for cut tobacco without, however, limiting the subject matter ofthe invention, specifically to such a machine. For illustration,reference is had to the diagrammatic views in the drawings, in whichFig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the device provided with aswinging transport chute,

Fig. 2 is an elevation in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1, withparts broken away,

Fig. 3 shows a swinging transport chute of different construction, and

Fig. 4 shows the chute of Fig. 3 viewed from the righthand side of saidligure.

2,8 7 3,745 Patented Fes. 17, 1959 In .the only partially `shown mixingmachine, for exampl`e,rcut tobacco 1 is mixed by known means onaconveyor 2 which moves slowly 'in the direction of the arrow 1. Infront of the discharge end for the tobacco 1, three rake wheels 3, 4 and5 are arranged in staggered relation and driven so that the'wheel at thehighest level rotates vat a greaterspeed thanA the wheel therebelow. Therake wheels 3, -4 and 5 rotate iinthe direction in which the pins arebent 'and ih substantially the same direction as shown 'in Patent260,958, C. G; Emery, July ll, 1882. The pins which, for example, arearranged along a screwl line on the wheels 3, 4 and S'are provided canAbe secured tothe machine frame by means of blade or coil springs in amanner known per se. The oscillatory movement can be achieved by meansof a crank drive in vany known wayand provided with a connecting rod v13pivoted to 'the vchu-'te at the centerof gravity thereof. The 'chute isguided -by means f profile 'rolls 1b" mounted between two brackets 14 onthe chute and adapted to run on short rails 16. In order to furtherloosen up the tobacco, an additional rake device 17 may be disposed inthe chute 12 and said rake device 17 comprises vertically andhorizontally adjustable rake pins 18 xedly secured to a shaft. Saidshaft is fixedly connected to the chute 12 in bearings 19 and the chuteis given an oscillatory movement either transversely to the direction oftransportation in the mixing machine or in said same direction.

When a plurality Of mixing machines with such rake wheels are arrangedbeside each other, the falling tobacco may move onto a common collectorband (not shown) from which the tobacco is conveyed to the treatmentunits i mentioned above.

What I claim is: v

l. In a device for loosening cut tobacco which is deposited in the formof a thick layer Iupon a slowly moving endless conveyor band and at oneend of the latter is discharged into a funnel, a frame arranged at thediswheel being arranged to engage and loosen substantially the lowerhalf of said tobacco layer as it reaches said discharge end, and anotherrake wheel being arranged in a still lower plane for receiving andloosening tobacco previously loosened by said two iirst mentioned rakewheels before said tobacco drops into said funnel.

2. In a device for loosening cut tobacco which is deposited in the formof a thick layer upon a slowly moving endless conveyor band and at oneend of the latter is discharged into a funnel, a frame arranged at thedischarge end of said conveyor band and above said funnel, a pluralityof rake wheels rotatably supported in said frame in a downwardly steppedfashion above and in front of the discharge end of said conveyor band,the uppermost rake wheel being arranged to engage and loosensubstantially the upper half of said tobacco layer as it reaches saiddischarge end, the next lower rake wheel being arranged to engage andloosen substantially the lower half of said tobacco layer as it reachessaid discharge end, and another rake wheel being arranged in a stilllower plane for receiving and loosening tobacco previously loosened bysaid two rst mentioned rake wheels before said tobacco drops into saidfunnel, all of said rake wheels having the same diameter.

3. In a device for loosening cut tobacco which is deposited in the formof a thick layer upon a slowly moving endless conveyor band and at oneend of the latter is discharged into a funnel, a frame arranged at thedischarge end of said conveyor band and above said funnel, a pluralityof rake wheels rotatably supported in said frame in a downwardly steppedfashion above and in front of the discharge end of said conveyor band,the uppermost rake wheel being arranged to engage and loosensubstantially the upper half of said tobacco layer as it reaches saiddischarge end, the next lower rake wheel being arranged to engage andloosen substantially the lower half of said tobacco layer as it reachessaid discharge end, and another rake wheel being arranged in a stilllower plane for receiving and loosening tobacco previously loosened bysaid two rst mentioned rake wheels before said tobacco drops into saidfunnel, all of said rake wheels having the same diameter, and rotate ina direction in which they tend to lift the tobacco upwardly as it isremoved from the charge end of the conveyor band.

4. In a device for loosening cut tobacco which is deposited in the formof a thick layer upon a slowly moving endless conveyor b and and at oneend of the latter is discharged into a funnel, a frame arranged at thedischarge end of said conveyor band and above said funnel a plurality ofrake wheels rotatably supported in said frame in a downwardly steppedfashion above and in front of the discharge erid of said conveyor band,the uppermost rake wheel being arranged to engage and loosensubstantially the upper half of said tobacco layer as it reaches saiddischarge end, the next lower rake wheel being arranged to engage andloosen substantially the lower half of said tobacco layer as it reachessaid discharge end, and another rake wheel being arranged in a stilllower plane for receiving and loosening tobacco previously loosened bysaid two irst'mentioned rake wheels before said tobacco drops into saidfunnel, all of said rake wheels having the same diameter, and eachhigher positioned rake wheel being rotated at a greater speed than thenext lower rake wheel.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 260,958Emery July 11, 1882 485,146 Bazerque -a Oct. 25, 1892 575,774 AllisonJan. 26, 1897 726,607 Allison Apr. 28, 1903 1,647,255 Stein Nov. 1, 19271,876,012 Leary Sept. 6, 1932 i FOREIGN PATENTS 324,930 Great BritainFeb. 5. 1930 846,007 France May 27, 1939

